Heartfire
by macmoosie
Summary: Adonis set forth to Skyrim with the hope of beginning a new existence and soon finds himself enthralled in a world of love and heartbreak, murder, magic, and friendship. Rated M for language, mature themes, and sex.
1. Arrival

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Elder Scrolls series nor that of Skyrim and I am not associated with Bethesda Softworks in any way. I do own the original character of Adonis and Zevran and neither are to be used, redistributed, or referenced without my consent. This story is a work of fiction and any similarities to places, characters, or events are completely coincidental. Zevran is one of my created characters during my playthroughs of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. While he is not entirely original-considering the fact that the player's character assumes the role of the Dovahkiin, or Dragonborn, and the races, genders, and customisation options are provided by the game and its developer-he is still part of my imagination as featured in this story. Any quotes, descriptions of personality, or other anthropomorphic references included are that of my imagination and property.

**Author's Note:** I've been getting more and more into Skyrim lately and I've been itching to write a story about Farkas, the most handsome and sexy character in the game if you ask me. I intended for this to be a short story, but I found myself writing non-stop and ended up with a rough manuscript, so I'll be turning it into a chaptered piece. I hope you enjoy it and please send a review my way!

* * *

1/ Arrival

It was already raining quite heavily by the time Adonis hurried himself into the Sleeping Giant Inn, attempting to shake himself dry-or as much as he could anyway. It was a long journey he'd set himself on; after the untimely passing of his father, he left his home in Cheydinhal within Cyrodiil and headed northwest toward Bruma, stopping for an ale before crossing the border into Skyrim. He'd reached Falkreath an hour or two after arriving at the province and settled into the local tavern, having quickly befriended the bartender who'd listened attentively to Adonis' tale. Adonis had fallen in love with the city and its beautiful low-lying forest surroundings, but as he learned that Falkreath was one of the smaller major cities, it had no real walls around it and the sense of security was disturbingly low. As he explored the city, he learned of the burial site in which many famous Nords were buried next to Skyrim's honoured dead from historical battles. With this being such an important tribute, many of the shops and buildings within the city were given names relating to death and Adonis soon found himself picking up his belongings and continuing his journey north. It wasn't until four or so hours later that he'd followed the White River, leading him to the small community of Riverwood.

As Adonis closed the door behind him, he glanced around the inn quickly before taking a place by the warming fire. He set his backpack on the floor against his chair and pulled a book from one of the pouches. He cracked the spine and started reading and was soon interrupted by the innkeeper. "What are you reading there?" she asked. Adonis looked up and showed her the cover; the second book in the Argonian Account series. The innkeeper nodded and put her hands in her pockets. "Can I get you something to eat or drink?"

"Some apple-cabbage stew sounds great if it isn't too much trouble," Adonis asked, his body yearning for a warm meal. He set his book aside and outstretched his arms, warming them by the fire. He inhaled deeply and exhaled with a sigh. The inn was interestingly empty, aside from the innkeeper, the handsome bard tuning his lute and the bartender continuously wiping down the same spot on the counter. Not long after, the innkeeper returned with a bowl of the stew and a bottle of spiced wine. Adonis ate his meal generously and enjoyed the wine that complemented the stew, and after finishing, reached into his coin purse and removed ten gold pieces. The innkeeper returned to collect the bowl and with a smile, closed Adonis' hand that held the gold.

"It's on the house." She sat in the chair beside him and held the bowl in her lap. "I haven't seen you around here before. We don't get many travellers here in Riverwood," she spoke, nodding toward his backpack. "I'm Delphine." Adonis introduced himself. "What brings you here?"

Adonis shifted himself in the seat to comfortably face Delphine. "I hail from Cyrodiil...Cheydinhal to be exact. I arrived in Skyrim yesterday. My father passed away and I wasn't able to handle it as well as I'd hoped. I needed a change of scenery anyway."

Delphine nodded. "Well, you've come at the right time. Skyrim wouldn't have been a pleasant change had you arrived a year or so ago." Delphine noticed the look of confusion on Adonis' face. She set the bowl aside and fixed her dress. "Hadn't you heard about the dragons or the Stormcloak-Imperial war?"

"The war, yes, but what is this about dragons?"

"I'm surprised news hadn't reached the other provinces. Then again, with the war going on it makes sense that no one was able to get the word out." Delphine strummed her fingers across the arm of her chair. "Not too long ago there was a man known as the Dragonborn who came to Skyrim, almost with the same story as yours; he crossed the border into the province and was captured by the Imperial Legion, having been mistaken for a rebel. He rose from an alleged nobody into one of Skyrim's biggest heroes since Talos. He practically single-handedly destroyed the dragons that were returning to life and put a stop to their resurrection. He arrived at this very inn and he and I worked together on a few occasions."

Adonis was intrigued. "What happened to the Dragonborn?"

Delphine frowned. "He died last year. No one is really sure how. The Dragonborn's husband, Farkas, doesn't even know the whole story. He lives at the Lakeview Manor in Falkreath; a beautiful piece of architecture. According to Farkas, the Dragonborn built it himself."

Adonis thought for a moment and somewhat recalled seeing the manor on his way to Riverwood, as he followed the White River. He noticed that Delphine was saddened at telling the story of the Dragonborn, so Adonis collected his backpack and cleared his throat. "How much does a room go for?"

"Normally it's ten gold pieces a night, but if you're planning on staying for a bit of time, I'd be more than willing to cut you a deal," Delphine smiled. Adonis nodded appreciatively and followed Delphine to his room.

Adonis had barely slept for little over an hour when he'd awoken with a jolt, with beads of sweat that had collected on his forehead gently sliding down his face. He sat up and walked over to the wash basin and splashed the cool water onto his face. He dressed and left his room, shutting the door behind him. He sat at the bar and snacked on a grilled leek before the bartender walked over. "What can I get you?"

"The strongest thing you can put together."

The bartender reached under the counter for a bottle of Colovian brandy and poured it into a tankard. He reached for the bottle of Firebrand wine on the counter and mixed it in before squeezing a few jazbay grapes into the mixture. The bartender passed the concoction to Adonis who downed it almost robotically. It tasted of sour mead but he'd already felt the kick. It wasn't until an hour later that he realised he might've had one drink too many.


	2. Farkas

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Elder Scrolls series nor that of Skyrim and I am not associated with Bethesda Softworks in any way. I do own the original character of Adonis and Zevran and neither are to be used, redistributed, or referenced without my consent. This story is a work of fiction and any similarities to places, characters, or events are completely coincidental. Zevran is one of my created characters during my playthroughs of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. While he is not entirely original-considering the fact that the player's character assumes the role of the Dovahkiin, or Dragonborn, and the races, genders, and customisation options are provided by the game and its developer-he is still part of my imagination as featured in this story. Any quotes, descriptions of personality, or other anthropomorphic references included are that of my imagination and property.

**Author's Note:** I've been getting more and more into Skyrim lately and I've been itching to write a story about Farkas, the most handsome and sexy character in the game if you ask me. I intended for this to be a short story, but I found myself writing non-stop and ended up with a rough manuscript, so I'll be turning it into a chaptered piece. I hope you enjoy it and please send a review my way!

* * *

2/ Farkas

It was morning when Adonis woke up, feeling completely relaxed aside from the slight headache he'd earned from the previous night's indulgence. He turned in bed and outstretched his arms and jumped back when he felt something under the blanket with him. Adonis carefully pulled back the blanket and raised an inquisitive eyebrow when he realised what...or who it was. It was the bard he'd noticed earlier, completely naked beside him. Adonis wondered for a moment exactly how the two of them got into that situation and decided to just enjoy it. Adonis covered himself back up and buried his face in his pillow, his arm outstretched over his partner, holding him closely.

A few hours later, Adonis woke up again but this time, it was to the sound of his partner sneezing. He sat up in bed and turned to look at Adonis, smiling. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you." Adonis sat up as well and ran his hands through his hair. "Forgive me, as I don't want to sound ungrateful, but exactly how did we end up like this?"

The bard chuckled. "I'd feared you might not remember. It was late last night and you and I were the only two awake. You asked me to perform a song for you, so I did, and during it, you just watched me with these longing eyes. When I finished, you took my hand and led me back to your room and kissed me, and well...here we are." Adonis smiled. "I'm Sven, by the way."

Adonis introduced himself. "Despite my horrid memory, the pleasure is certainly mine," he spoke softly, leaning in to kiss Sven. Sven smiled and started to dress himself. "You're not hurrying off so soon, are you?"

Sven frowned. "I wish I didn't have to, but my mother hasn't been well lately and I really ought to check on her."

"I understand," Adonis replied.

Sven kissed him and headed for the door. "I'll see you around sometime." He waved and closed the door behind him.

Adonis sunk back onto his pillow and sighed. His first romance in a painstakingly exorbitant amount of time and he wasn't even able to enjoy it entirely, thanks to his inebriation. Adonis sighed again and reluctantly started conjuring up an imaginative replay of the previous night's events. After feeling less than satisfied, Adonis climbed out of his bed and dressed himself slowly, reminiscing on Sven's kiss. He took a seat at the roaring fire and stared at the embers occasionally snapping and fading into thin air. Before he could stand to order a meal, the door to the inn opened swiftly and slammed shut behind the patron who'd entered. His shoulder length hair was dripping wet as well as the fur underneath the steel armour he boasted. His cold, grey eyes were brought out by the black war paint decorated around them. He passed Adonis without a glance or word and stood at the bar.

"Orgnar," he addressed the bartender abruptly, "Is Delphine around?"

Delphine, who was standing not five feet from the bar at the alchemy laboratory, set aside the mortar and pedestal she was using and turned to face the newcomer. "I'm over here, you blithering Falmer. Are you losing your sight, Farkas, or am I that well-blended in?"

Adonis froze suddenly and inconspicuously turned in his seat to take a second glance at the man. Farkas, as in the husband of the late Dragonborn? He watched as Delphine made her way over to the bar and sat on the stool closest to Farkas. "I'm sorry, Delphine. I was in a hurry. Have you any news of the convict?"

"Yes," she replied hurriedly, "I sent word through a courier that he'd come through here, but Faendal told me this morning that he'd been captured by the Imperial Legion."

Farkas looked incredibly disappointed. "Well, so much for the bounty then. Shame. I was in need of good coin too."

"You say that as if the Companions are out of business," she stated boldly.

Farkas leaned against the counter of the bar and sighed. "Well, we are an independent lot but since Zevran passed, a lot of the Companions lost their ambition and as such, the jobs stopped rolling in. He was an inspiration to a lot of us, not just as the Dragonborn, but as the Harbinger as well. Without a leader, the rest of us just fall flat...and you know I was never one for the farmer's life."

Delphine passed him a tankard of ale and chuckled. "Well, if you'd get over your damned fear of frostbite spiders, you could raid some cairns and sell the loot you find to the local traders."

"Horsefeathers," Farkas quipped, "I'm not a blasted tomb raider. It's the thrill of mercenary work that suits me just fine. Everything else pales in comparison." He sighed once more. "I'll figure something out." Farkas downed the last of his ale and took a seat next to Adonis, who had by that time turned his head back to the fire and had been listening attentively. "I haven't seen you around these parts before. Are you from one of the villages; Ivarstead perhaps?"

Adonis shook his head, his throat nearly dry. "No," he spoke, clearing his throat. "I came to Skyrim from Cyrodiil a couple of days ago." He licked his lips and pressed them together. "I had some personal issues at home and a change was more than welcome. So I packed what I could—most of what was important—and set forth for Skyrim."

Farkas nodded, understandingly. "I was going to say, you didn't look like the average pilgrim. Have you found what you're looking for?" Adonis hesitated to answer his question—here he was at the Sleeping Giant Inn with the widow of one of the greatest men to ever live, asking him about his life, willing to hear his story.

Adonis finally looked up at Farkas. "No. Not yet. I'd only arrived in Riverwood yesterday and I haven't a place to go nor a clue what to do for myself." Adonis caught himself and wished he hadn't worded it that way. He knew he sounded desperate and completely lost. He was an independent soul—regardless of not having a place to call home or a steady source of income, he knew how to survive and he knew what to make of any situation.

Farkas leaned back in his chair and pursed his lips. "Well, I have a proposition for you." Adonis nodded, showing him that he was listening. "You'd be welcome to stay with me at my home in Falkreath on the condition that you and I help each other."

Before Farkas could elaborate on what he meant, Adonis shook his head and interrupted. "No, I couldn't. I would want nothing less than to impose on you. I don't mean to sound unappreciative, but I can take care of myself and..."

Farkas took his turn to interrupt. "Please. You would be doing me a favour. There's only so much company a bard, a housecarl, and a steward can provide. Having you live with me would be an interesting and welcomed change." Adonis said nothing. He smiled and nodded in agreement. "When I said 'help each other,' I meant for me to help you get yourself situated and you help me rediscover my calling."

Adonis raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "How am I to do that?"

"You have a positive look about you," Farkas replied with a smile. "I feel as though the stories you have to tell and the knowledge you might share will have a good purpose toward me."

Adonis' cheeks flourished scarlet and he turned his head away from Farkas. He glanced back to see Farkas smiling, who then stood up and held out his hand. Adonis took it and stood with him, heading back to his rented room to collect his belongings. He bid Delphine and Orgnar a farewell with the promise of returning to visit occasionally along with the small amount of gold he owed for the room and followed Farkas outside. The two climbed aboard Farkas' personal carriage and they headed for Lakeview Manor.


End file.
